{"id":19043,"date":"2023-06-06T16:54:13","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/news\/10-reasons-i-wont-be-buying-apples-3500-vision-pro-vr-headset\/"},"modified":"2023-06-06T16:54:15","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:54:15","slug":"10-reasons-i-wont-be-buying-apples-3500-vision-pro-vr-headset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=19043","title":{"rendered":"10 reasons I won\u2019t be buying Apple\u2019s $3,500 Vision Pro VR headset\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
Thanks a lot, but no thanks.<\/p>\n
Thanks for the 10,000 steps a day and for FaceTime, Thanks for the darling iPhone that\u2019s mine, But I\u2019m a guy with only so much time, Thanks a lot, but no thanks.<\/p>\n
Apologies to the writers Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Andr\u00e9 Previn for butchering the text of their classic song, \u201cThanks a lot, but no thanks.\u201d I have not tried Apple\u2019s $3,500 Vision Pro VR headset. I\u2019ve read about its amazing capabilities. Analysts are agog, but I\u2019m out.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a thing of, well, not exactly beauty, but a sci-fi fantasy in 2023. It\u2019s controlled by using your eyes, voice and hands. It\u2019s the great-great-great grandson of the RED Classic ViewMaster 3D, Mattel\u2019s red binocular-like toy, first introduced in 1939 for children to view \u201c3d\u201d cardboard photos.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
It supports fully immersive virtual reality as well as augmented reality, which places computer-generated objects over your view of the actual world. It can create a hyper-realistic 3D avatar while using FaceTime, and it\u2019s partnered with Disney \n DIS, \n +1.27%<\/bg-quote> \n so you can use it to watch movies.<\/p>\n
The specs are amazing, as they say in the business. You will be able to host virtual meetings from your home for those who have not been called back to the office (in which case actual in-person meetings or \u2014 call me old-fashioned \u2014 Zoom \n ZM, \n +0.70%<\/bg-quote> \n will probably do just fine).<\/p>\n
The technology will obviously develop and improve over time, and this high-end version appears to be primarily aimed at wealthy tech aficionados and developers. It has impressively clear visuals. Still, I\u2019m not lugging around a battery pack that requires charging every two hours.<\/p>\n
The iPhone has revolutionized and disrupted our lives. It keeps us entertained, connected, distracted and disconnected \u2014 from each other. I heard alarm bells when I read a positive review by Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of the Verge. But she also described the Vision Pro VR experience as \u201coddly lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s why I won\u2019t be buying the Vision Pro VR:<\/strong><\/p>\n
1. It costs $3,500. That\u2019s double the median monthly mortgage payment in the U.S., and it would put a roof over your head for 1.5 months as a renter. The median annual wage in the U.S. hovers around $53,000. That doesn\u2019t leave much left over every month for a VR headset.<\/p>\n
2. I\u2019ll say it so you don\u2019t have to. It looks ridiculous. Like Google Glass \n GOOG, \n +1.01%<\/bg-quote><\/p>\n
GOOGL, \n +1.03%<\/bg-quote>,<\/span> \n it makes people look more Gordon Geeko than Gordon Gekko. Even Charles II of England, then the Prince of Wales, couldn\u2019t seem to make Google Glass catch fire. He looked bemused, befuddled and bewildered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3. Speaking of royalty \u2014 heavy lies the crown. The Apple Vision Pro headset weighs just under a pound. The sight of attendees at the Caliverse Hyper-Realistic Metaverse experience trying it out gave me a fright. The headset is reportedly comfortable to wear, but grows heavy as time wears on.<\/p>\n
4. I don\u2019t want to toggle between the real world and the virtual world. I want to be in the real world. I don\u2019t want to see the world through rose-colored glasses or a VR headset, I want the world to be rose-colored. More people with their heads stuck in devices is not a good thing.<\/p>\n
5. In her WSJ review, tech reporter Joanna Stern lauded its 3D movie capabilities, and said its intuitive operation had the wow factor, but toggling between the real world and virtual world made her feel queasy. Apple said it\u2019s working on that before it\u2019s released next year.<\/p>\n
6. Apple needs to increase its profits. Shareholders want to see the company\u2019s stock price continue to soar. Wearable tech is the next big thing. Supposedly. Apple hit a home run with the Apple Watch. But a watch is a watch. How much tech can a person actually wear?\u00a0<\/p>\n
7. Personal tech harvests data from their customers and, while Silicon Valley companies repeatedly say they aggregate data and aim to protect your privacy, I don\u2019t want any more personal tech in my house. That includes VR headsets and smart speakers.<\/p>\n
8. With the With Vision Pro, Apple says, \u201cyou have an infinite canvas that transforms how you use the apps you love. Arrange apps anywhere and scale them to the perfect size, making the workspace of your dreams a reality.\u201d I want to see paintings on my walls, not apps.<\/p>\n
9. Studies suggest there may be a correlation between dissociative behavior and addiction to technology. While some apps are attempting to bring cognitive therapy to the immersive world of VR, it\u2019s far too early to tell the long-term implications on our mental health and brain function.<\/p>\n
10. Reviewers noted that glasses wearers \u2014 that\u2019s me \u2014 require a prescription check for lenses made by Zeiss. They will be sold separately when the product is launched in 2024. So see that $3,500, sorry $3,499, price tag as a baseline price. I see more add-ons to come.<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s it. These are my 10 reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s CEO \n AAPL, \n -0.21%<\/bg-quote> \n Tim Cook has not answered the billion-dollar question: why do I need it? It can do a host of cool stuff \u2014 and I don\u2019t doubt it \u2014 but I don\u2019t believe it will improve my quality of life. I may \u201cneed\u201d my iPhone to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues. But why do I need this? Why?<\/p>\n
Patel said it was the best headset demo ever. But she also had similar questions: \u201cHow do you watch a movie with other people in a Vision Pro? What if you want to collaborate with people in the room with you\u00a0and\u00a0people on FaceTime? What does it mean that Apple wants you to\u00a0wear a headset\u00a0at your\u00a0child\u2019s birthday party?\u201d<\/p>\n
We need more real world \u2014 not less. I don\u2019t want to FaceTime with my Irish mother as a computer-generated avatar. I don\u2019t want to watch 3D movies with fly-like aluminum and shiny glass on my face. It\u2019s bad enough seeing people in the park glued to their phones. Will they now be spacing about with VR headsets?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first Apple product you look through, and not at,\u201d Tim Cook told the crowd at the Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, Calif. during the headset\u2019s launch. I\u2019d rather use my $3,500 and travel, or spend my time reading and looking through an actual window. And on that note\u2026<\/p>\n
Thanks for the Apple Pay, it\u2019s really fine, And thanks for Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, But I\u2019ve already got a life that\u2019s Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook combined, Thanks a lot, but no, no thanks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n